Advances in the development of television production equipment allow recording devices like video recorders, servers and camcorders, for example, to record not only audio and/or video information, but metadata as well. Such metadata comprises data about the captured audio and/or video information. Such metadata can include simple information, such as the time and date of the capture of the associated audio and/or video information. More complex metadata can include identification of the content of the audio and/or video information, as well as data associated with authoring and editing of that content.
Techniques for capturing metadata in conjunction with the capture of audio and/or video information, as well as techniques for associating such metadata have become well known. What has proven elusive is the ability to make good use of the metadata. In other words, the problem facing production personnel is the generation of “useful” metadata that can assist production personnel, rather than the creation of metadata that simply gets stored without aiding in the production process.
Thus, a need exists for a technique for generating and associating useful metadata in conjunction with the production of audio-visual content, and particularly, event driven audio visual content, such a television news material.